THE CARIBBEAN (Feb. 24, 2012) - The
16th Annual Caribbean
Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) is geared to
emphasize the
need for public and private sector partnerships in order to maximize
investment
opportunities in the Caribbean tourism industry. CHTIC is
scheduled for
April 24-26, 2012 at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San
Juan,
Puerto Rico.

The comprehensive conference program provides delegates with all of the
necessary tools including attracting the capital from financial
institutions
and utilizing partnerships with the public sector. The program is
designed to provide investors with ample opportunities in the region
and put
tourism related businessesin the best possible position as the economy
continues to rebound.

"Tourism is our region's number one economy and we must do everything
to
attract new tourism investment into the region to be able to expand our
tourism
product and therefore maintain our global competitive position as the
world's
leading warm weather destination", said Josef Forstmayr, president of
the
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). "This year's
Investment Conference program will be geared to jump start the
investment
opportunities in the tourism industry and will feature a varied program
geared
towards developing the necessary partnerships to achieve successful
investments
for all parties involved".

Following are the general
session topics and descriptions for CHTIC 2012:

Setting The Scene:
Challenges, Potential And Opportunities - The Caribbean On The World
Tourism Stage: Caribbean economies are significantly driven by tourism
with 7 of the world's 10 most tourism-dependent countries located in
the region. This session will provide the tools and vital data to guide
the discussions throughout the conference and identify opportunities
for tourism development in the Caribbean.

Opportunities In The
Caribbean Tourism Industry - Public And Private Sector Partnerships:
A successful path ahead requires innovative solutions that integrate
all major components of the tourism industry. Some of the best
success stories in recent years involve partnerships between the public
and private sector. A cross-section panel of Caribbean ministers
of tourism and industry representatives will share their vision of
investment opportunities in the region and policies required to
encourage expansion.

From An Investor's
Perspective: This is a must attend session for anyone
considering investment and expansion in the Caribbean. Our panel
represents a group of leading hoteliers and developers who oversee an
extensive portfolio of hospitality product across the region.
From mega all-inclusive resorts to luxury high-end resort
developments, this session will explore what drives investment and
include a candid discussion on what motivated these companies to make
significant financial commitments and recommendations for future
development in the region.

The Managing Directors
Check-In:
Operating and managing the business interests of resort developers in
the Caribbean can often entail oversight of multiple businesses ranging
from hotels and real estate to spa and casino operations. The
session will address today's challenges and opportunities as well as
highlight how panelists have been able to position their resorts for
long term success. The experts will reveal strategies that have
been proven successful as well as how these resorts are positioning
themselves to ensure the highest returns.Conference delegates will also
have the opportunity to participate in breakout
sessions which are presented as three simultaneous presentations.

The
breakout sessions include:

Shared Ownership - A
Caribbean Opportunity: The shared ownership sector continues to
thrive and grow across the region with major hospitality companies and
independent hoteliers and developers reporting strong sales. This
session will explore consumer interest in traveling to the Caribbean
and the ongoing opportunity for timeshare and fractional development
throughout the region.

Real Estate And
Hospitality: Recognizing the global decline in the real estate
industry, this session will examine the short and long term future for
real estate in the Caribbean, and from a practical standpoint, how will
it continue to interface with the regions hospitality product.
Experts from across the region will share their insight and provide
specifics relative to current supply and future development
opportunities.

Strategies And Options To
Deal With Troubled Assets: The reality is that there are so many
troubled assets (loans, workouts, receiverships and bankruptcies) with
magnificent potential. While most developers are looking
elsewhere to start something new, this session will explore ways to
capitalize on stalled projects and revive them successfully.
Participants will receive insight on opportunities involving already
built and partially built, but not in use properties that got stalled
during the recent economic crisis.

Target Markets And Tapping
Into New Opportunities: Traditionally, the Caribbean has looked
to North America as its target market with the Eastern Caribbean
attracting visitors from Europe, particularly the United Kingdom.
Today, however, sources of inward investment are changing, economies
from the target markets are in a downturn, and increased taxes are
thereby reducing the number of visitors to the region from these key
areas. The discussion will highlight how the region is being proactive
to minimize the impact of these changes by tapping non-traditional
markets.

The Power Of Branding:
Join us to examine how international hospitality companies contribute
to the success of the Caribbean's tourism product. Questions that
will be addressed include: Will branding enhance profitability and
increase revenues? What works and why? What are the opportunities
by size and segment? Is it possible to maintain a property's
individuality and unique attributes while leveraging the brand?

Capital Markets Outlook -
Where Will The Capital Come From?: The future of further
development of the hospitality and real estate industries in the
Caribbean rests squarely on the shoulders of the lenders, banks and
other financial institutions and sources of capital. We can plan,
project and create wonderful opportunities but sourcing the funds will
determine whether or not a project has the potential for success.
This session goes right to the heart of this issue as we hear from the
lenders directly and find out how they view the potential opportunities
for development funding in the Caribbean.

The conference program also provides plenty of
opportunities for delegates to conduct business through the speed
networking,
networking reception and networking lunches.

Registration for CHTIC 2012
includes all educational sessions, two receptions,
two lunches and coffee breaks with registration fees as follows:

CHTA
Member Hotels and Government Representatives

Regular
registration: US$350 per person (until March 23, 2012)

Late
registration: US$450 per person (after March 24, 2012)

CHTA
Allied Members

Regular
registration: US$775 per person (until March 23, 2012)

Late
registration: US$875 per person (after March 24, 2012)

Non-Members

Regular
registration: US$875 per person (until March 23, 2012)

Late
registration: US$975 per person (after March 24, 2012)

Day
Passes

Regular
registration: US$750 per person (until March 23, 2012)

Late
registration: US$850 (after March 24, 2012)

Hotel Accommodations &
Airfare Discount
CHTA has arranged a special group rate of US$165 (ROH - single/double
occupancy), available through March 29, 2012, at the Sheraton Puerto
Rico Hotel
& Casino. Taxes and service charges are additional.

CHTA has partnered with American Airlines to provide conference
delegates with
a 5% discount off any applicable published fares listed on American
Airlines,
American Eagle and American Connection for travel to San Juan, April
21-30,
2012. Reservations can be made via www.aa.com
or via the local reservations number using promotion code 8442BG.

Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship opportunities starting at US$8,000 are available for
companies
seeking to elevate their presence at this prestigious event.
Sponsors
will be highlighted throughout the conference, as well as in CHTA's
marketing
and public relations activities leading up to and following the event.
The Sponsors' Exhibit will also afford direct contact with
representatives of sponsoring companies and will be open throughout the
conference. For information about sponsoring CHTIC 2012, contact
Gabi
Doria at 305-443-3040 or email: gabi@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.

Building on the momentum achieved in recent years with a
growing interest in Caribbean tourism development, CHTIC is staged by
two
not-for-profit organizations - CHTA and the CTO. CHTA represents
the
regional hotel and tourism associations and CTO is the public sector
tourism
body which represents the countries of the region. All funds from
the
conference are reinvested in the region for the benefit of the
Caribbean
tourism industry. CHTIC was founded by CHTA and CTO in 1997 with
the
specific objectives of improving the tourism investment and operating
climate
in the Caribbean, raising awareness of development opportunities and
stimulating a continuing flow of equity and loan capital into the
region.

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism
Association
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA)
facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism
industry by
serving members' needs and building partnerships in a socially
responsible and
sustainable manner. Celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 2012, CHTA
is the
voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the
region
in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of
international
tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in
the
economy of the region - and CHTA functions as the common denominator
for this
industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles,
identifying mutual problems and marshaling the resources of the active
and
allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the
hospitality industry with more than 725 member hotels and 375 allied
members.